Rail-joint.



E. B. HUTTON.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18,1911.

1,007,573, Patented 0012.31, 1911.

i i 5 WITNESSES 6 [NVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL B. HUITON, OF WEST BROWNSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL B. HUTToN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Vest Brownsville, in the county of Wash ington and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

The present invent-ion comprises certain improvements in that type ofjoint means for the ends of rails utilizing angle bars at opposite sidesof the rails and a cross wedge or key tending. to take. up all loosenessor play between the angle bars and the rails, and at the same timeafford a springfyield ing base member beneath the meeting extremities ofsaid rails.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to behad to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a top plan view showing a preferred embodiment of theinvention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a cross section showingmore clearly the mounting of the transverse key and the form thereofwhen in operative position; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the key or wedge;Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the wedge or key; Fig. 6 is a bottom planview of a modified form of the wedge.

Throughout the following detail descrip tion and on the several figuresof the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like referencecharacters.

The construction of the parts employed in carrying out the invention iscomparatively simple.

Referring particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the ends of adjacentrails of a track and 2 angle bars at opposite sides of said rails. Theangle bars 9. are connected together by a suitable number of bolts 3 andeach angle bar is formed with a downwardly extending edge flange 4having a transverse elongated aperture 5. The apertures 5 of the flanges4 are in transverse alinement when the angle bars are secured to therails, and a wedge or key 6 is adapted to be inserted beneath the railends at the points of meeting, so as to pass through said-apertures 5.

The wedge or key 6 is of peculiar formation, its upper surface beingsomewhat convex so that the key is thicker intermediate its ends than atits extremities. At such in termediate portion, the wedge 6 is formedSpecification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 31, 1911. Applicationfiled March 18, 1911.

Serial No. 615,396.

with a plurality of teeth 6 said teeth being adapted to engage with theunder surfaces of the rail ends, as shown in Fig. 3, and to bite firmlyinto the metal of the rails when the wedge is driven into operative position. In general conformation, the wedge 6 is tapering toward one endand the smaller end is formed on itsunder surface with teeth 6" adaptedto engage with that portion of the flange 4 at the lower side of'theaperture 5, through which the smaller end of the wedge passes.

The action of'the wedge when placed in position is peculiar for, byreason of its special shape or formation, when the device is driven intoplace beneath the ends'of the rails and through the apertures 5 of theflanges 4, the engagement of the teeth 6 at the intermediate portion ofthe wedge with the base portions of the rails, tends to spring saidintermediate portion downwardly in the manner shown in Fig. 3, and byreason of the bearing afforded for the end portions of the wedge by theapertures 5. Necessarily the peculiar engagement of the teeth 6' withthe base portions of the rails 1 tends to cause positive interlockingengagement of the teeth 6" of the wedge with the flange 4 coacting withthe smaller end of said part. The wedge 6 therefore, when driven home,is bent or bowed downwardly intermediate its ends, such action tendingto increase the biting or engaging effect of the teeth 6 and 6 andtaking up all play or looseness between th angle bars and rails.

In Fig. 6, the form of the wedge is slightly modified in that a sideedge of the wedge adjacent to the teeth 6 is inclined or cut away asshown at 6 and the opposite edge portion toothed as shown at 6*. Theabove structure is such that, as the wedge is driven into place inengagement with the angle bars, the inclined surface 6 tends to forcethe smaller end of the wedge laterally to obtain the necessary engagingor locking action of the teeth 6 with respect to the end wall of theadjacent aperture of one of the angle bars. Otherwise than as abovedescribed, the wedge shown in Fig. 6 is formed the same as the structureillustrated in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a rail joint, the combination of rail ends, angle bars at oppositesides of said rail ends, connections between the rail ends and the anglebars, the angle bars being formed with flanges projecting downwardlybelow the base portions of the rail ends and formed with transverselyregistering apertures, and a wedge passing beneath the rail ends andthrough said apertures, said wedge tapering toward one end and providedintermediate its ends on its upper surface with teeth adapted to engagethe under sides of the rail ends, the smaller end of the wedge beingformed with teeth on the side opposite those first mentioned andengaging the bottom portion of the aperture of the flange through whichsaid end of the wedge passes.

2. In a rail joint, the combination of rail ends, angle bars at oppositesides of said rail ends, connections between the rail ends and the anglebars, the angle bars being formed with flanges projecting downwardlybelow the base portions of the rail ends and formed with transverselyregistering apertures, and

a wedge passing beneath the rail ends and through said apertures, saidwedge tapering toward one end and provided intermediate its ends on itsupper surface with teeth adapted to engage the under sides of the railends, the smaller end of the Wedge being formed with teeth on the sideopposite those first mentioned and engaging the bot tom portion of theaperture of the flange through which said end of the wedge passes, andthe wedge being thicker at its intermediate portion than at its endswhereby when driven in place, it is bowed or bent downwardly at theintermediate portion so as to have the spring engagement with the railends for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EARL B. HUTTON. \Vitnesses:

DANIEL LIVINGSTON, CLARENCE S. DWYER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

